WORLD WORLDWIDE US USA - New York NY - New York City NYC - THE CITY - Hochul won’t oust Adams — but she hopes to rein him in

 

Dear New Yorkers,

Gov. Kathy Hochul will not use her executive powers to oust Mayor Eric Adams. Instead, she introduced three legislative proposals to increase oversight of his office.

Her proposed bills would install new officials with authority over city matters within state government, prevent the mayor from firing the commissioner for the Department of Investigation, and add more funding to the state comptroller’s office so that they could have more oversight into city decision-making — among other things.

Hochul said that she believes this path gives her confidence that there’s “a system in place” in the wake of the firestorm around Adams and the following resignations of four of his deputy mayors.

She emphasized the proposal was “not a power grab.”

“This is not a move for me to say, ‘I want to be the mayor of New York,’” she said.

Critically, she didn’t rule out the possibility of ousting the mayor at a later date.

Read more here about Hochul’s move to curb Adams’ authority — which will need approval from both the City Council and state legislature.

Weather ☀️

Sunny and breezy, with a high around 33 — but the wind will make it feel like anywhere between 5 and 15 degrees. Wear a hat, and hold onto it!

MTA 🚇

No 4 train between Brooklyn Bridge-City Hall and Crown Heights-Utica Ave/New Lots Ave this weekend — from 11:30 p.m. tonight through 5 a.m. on Monday morning. Find all the MTA’s planned changes and the latest delays here.

Alternate side parking 🚙

It’s in effect today, Feb. 21.

By the way…

Off-Broadway Week (which, confusingly, lasts for about three weeks) just started — get two-for-one tickets to off-Broadway shows.

Our Other Top Stories

Almost all of Manhattan’s notoriously slow crosstown buses that run south of 60th Street have sped up — slightly — in the weeks since congestion pricing took effect, MTA data shows. And for express bus riders, the gains from the tolling have been even more pronounced, with several buses shaving more than 15 minutes off commuting times. Multiple state correction officers were criminally charged for their alleged roles in the murder of Robert Brooks inside an upstate New York prison in December, Hochul announced Thursday. They face a slew of charges including murder, manslaughter and gang assault. Meanwhile, hundreds of officers are still on strike.  Timothy Pearson, a longtime close associate and senior advisor to Mayor Eric Adams, committed misconduct when he physically attacked two security guards at a migrant shelter, the city Department of Investigation has found. In the incident, first reported by THE CITY, Pearson shoved both a male and female guard who had requested his ID. With so much uncertainty hanging over the mayoral race, many New Yorkers may look to political opinion polls to help predict the future — and from those polls, you might even be justified in thinking that the race has a frontrunner! But polling experts say that logic is flawed. Read our guide on where local polls come from, how to interpret them and which to trust.  Our fourth edition of the RANKED CHOICES newsletter went out yesterday afternoon. If you missed it, we talk polling, what we’re reading and answer reader questions — like when will we actually know who’s on the ballot? To get the next edition in your inbox, sign up here.

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Things To Do

Here’s what’s going on around the city this week.

Thursday, Feb. 20 - Saturday, Feb. 22: This is the last weekend to see the Red Envelope Show at the Harman Gallery on the Lower East Side, which features over 100 artists’ work on traditional Lunar New Year red envelopes. 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, Feb. 21 - Sunday, Feb. 23: Find your next read at the Cheap Book Sale, where most items are $3 or less. Park Slope Methodist Church, 2 to 9:30 p.m.  Saturday, Feb. 22: Visit Governor’s Island for “Returning to Self: A Black History Month Culmination,” a day of workshops and performances that elevates Black voices.

THE KICKER: Something to celebrate: Stanislawa "Anna" Sulkowska, the owner of multiple beloved East Village bars and restaurants through the years, turned 100 last month.

Thanks, as always, for reading. Make it a great Friday.

Love,

THE CITY

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